Biden scheduled to speak in Danbury

DANBURY -- Vice President Joseph Biden will come to the city Thursday as the keynote speaker for a conference on gun control.

His appearance will kick off a series of conferences, symposiums and community forums on gun violence in the city this month.

Biden, who led the group that delivered recommendations for gun control measures to President Barack Obama, will address a conference on the federal effort to reduce gun violence at Western Connecticut State University. His talk is by invitation only and not open to the public.

The conference, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., will include panel discussions on ways to reduce gun violence, protect children and make communities safer. Participants, who haven't yet been announced, will include national, state and local leaders, law enforcement, mental health experts, sportsmen, faith leaders, families and survivors of gun violence.

U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty, D-5, are the hosts. They say the conference is by invitation only because of limited space. It will be in the campus center ballroom at the westside campus of Western.

The event is expected to be live streamed on the official websites of Biden, Blumenthal, Murphy and Esty.